Given wildfires have threatened major observatories in a few places around the world, perhaps facilities placed in wooded areas should consider clearing a wide swath around them to create a fire break. I imagine they'd rather lose a few trees and some grass than have their facilities ruined.

I saw that. Great news. I survived a terrible fire in AZ a bit more than 10 years ago. Rodeo-Chediski Fire I know the sick feeling in your gut leaving your place in evacuation wondering if you will ever see anything again. Not fun.

As far as I know there have been fires at La Palma (2007) & Kitt Peak (2007) and the most severe at Mt Stromlo near Canberra in Australia. The Stromlo observatory was destroyed in January 2003 and reopened in the summer of 2007...During the fires of last weekend, everybody was evacuated from Siding Spring and temperatures in the cooled domes rose to 20° Celsius!Hope everybody is safe!

I was at Siding Springs in November. So glad to see that no significant damage was done to the complex and all the personnel are safe. The fire safety signs you see on the road rate the fire risk from clear to catastrophic with a survive! notation. They take the risk seriously.